Senate committee reviews S.44 amendment to require governor approval for immigration-related agreements

The Senate Judiciary Committee on March 11 discussed proposed committee amendments to S.44 that would bar state, county or municipal entities from entering into agreements with federal immigration-enforcement agencies unless the governor authorizes them.

Under current law cited in the committee discussion (Title 20, section 46 52), the governor, after consulting with the Vermont attorney general, is authorized to enter into certain agreements referenced in the transcript as “8 USC 13 57” and “287(g) agreements.” The draft committee amendment (draft 1.1) would strike a subsection that the committee described as allowing a state, county or municipal law-enforcement agency to enter into such agreements "when necessary to address threats to the public safety or welfare" during a declaration of a state or national emergency. In its place, the amendment would clarify…